WAGE certifications upAs many Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE) clients completed Career Readiness Certifications (CRC) during a three-month period this year as were completed in the previous fiscal year. "So, four times as many [have completed them] as last year with more coming," Jackie Harris, WAGE coordinator, said during a committee meeting Wednesday. She said 77 clients completed CRCs between July 1 and Sept. 30 — the same number that comple...

Russellville's next mayorEditor’s note: The Courier will publish a series of candidate questions and answers as a 2014 voter's guide. Each of the candidates were emailed the same questions. Below are the responses from candidates for Russellville mayor. Look for more candidate Q&As in future editions. Martin Irwin Why are you seeking this position? I am seeking the office of mayor because I am concerned about the future of Russellville. Russellville is my life-long ho...

Floyd, Ward court dates setDANVILLE — The cases against Brooke Floyd and Samuel Lee Ward are each set to go before a jury in Yell County Circuit Court in the next few months. Floyd, 21, was charged with manslaughter in the death of her 10-month-old son, Harper. The medical examiner's office listed Harper's cause of death as exposure and abandonment and the manner as homicide. Floyd's trial was initially scheduled to begin Monday, but was delayed when her attorney, Willi...

News Briefs (Oct. 11, 2014)Election Commission meeting Monday The Pope County Election Commission will meet at noon on Monday at Election Headquarters, located at 1509 E. Main St., Suite 7 in Russellville. EGG’N in the Valley The River Valley Shelter for Battered Women and Children, along with Carr’s Chain Reaction and the Big Green Egg, will sponsor the first EGG’N in the Valley Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Pope County Fairgrounds. The event will feature teams c...

Pope County Flu Clinic postponed The Pope County drive-thru flu clinic, originally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24 at the Pope County Fairgrounds, has been postponed due to a delay in shipment from the flu vaccine’s distributor. The new flu clinic date will be announced as soon as it is re-scheduled. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) recommended getting the flu vaccine wherever it is available (pharmacies, other health care providers). It is very important for pregnant wo...

Severe storms, heavy rain to sweep from Texas to EastAccuWeather reports a storm system expected to form over the Central United States will bring the risk of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and disruptive rain, beginning late Sunday. Leftover moisture from Simon will join forces with a disturbance pushing across the Rockies this weekend. As the two systems get together to form one dynamic storm system, thunderstorms are forecast to erupt over portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Misso...

Moles manipulate yards in the Russellville areaMoles — those small rodent-like animals frequently found in backyards — have burrowed their noses into the business of the Arkansas River Valley. Less than a foot long, the tunnel-digging mammals have disfigured lawns and burrowed through flower beds. Through a steady diet of grubs and worms, moles are able to sustain themselves in a series of underground networks. Bill Lawrence of Delta Pest Control said the animals have been a nuisance in th...

Harps to break ground soonDOVER — Construction of a Harps Food Store on State Highway 7 in Dover is scheduled to start soon. "I think that we'll start [construction] this fall," Sarah Hopper, Harps real estate coordinator, told the Dover City Council during its regular meeting Tuesday. The council approved two variances the Dover Planning Commission recommended for the store's construction. According to the current ordinance, a store of that size must have 125 parking ...

News Briefs (Oct. 10, 2014)Commission to certify results The Pope County Election Commission will certify the Dover school board runoff election at 10:30 a.m. today in the office of the Pope County Clerk. Knotie Hat Girls meeting The Knotie Hat Girls will meet at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Brangus Steak House. For more information, call (479) 968-8129. Galla Ghost Night The Galla Ghost Night at Potts Inn will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Potts Inn will be lit with lanterns...

City Council takes no action on Alliance funding suspensionThe Russellville City Council took no action during Thursday’s special meeting which centered around the organization responsible for economic development, and a request to suspend funding from the city which totals nearly $150,000 annually. The sole topic of the called meeting was funding for the Arkansas Valley Alliance for Economic Development (AVAED). Before and after discussion that lasted an hour — sometimes heated and loud — Alderwoman ...

Committee OKs Alliance expense reviewThe Russellville City Council’s Finance Committee approved a request Tuesday from Alderwoman Freddie Harris to review funding expenditures pertaining to the Arkansas Valley Alliance for Economic Development (AVAED). Harris told council members that she had been asked by residents to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request to Jeff Pipkin, president and CEO of the Alliance and Russellville Chamber of Commerce. Harris said for years, pe...

Atkins hosts Internet awareness meetingATKINS — Concerned educators gathered at the Atkins School District Administration Building on Tuesday in an effort to raise awareness about public school Internet problems. In a presentation from FASTERArkansas, a coalition of statewide businesses and education leaders, Christen Carter said the state of Arkansas ranks near the bottom in high-speed Internet access and digital learning, in part because schools don’t have the resources to offer ...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Nov. 13 in Circuit Court. • William Ross, 28, theft by receiving and a felon in possession of a firearm — $50,000. On Oct. 1, officers — while executing a search warrant on Ross' residence on another matter — found a handgun that was report...

Storms dump rain, hail in areaMorning storms dumped more than an inch of rain in Russellville and an unknown amount of quarter-inch hail in Clarksville. Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) of Little Rock issued a severe thunderstorm warning for west central Pope County, southwestern Johnson County and north central Yell County. The NWS said Doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing "damaging wind in excess of 60...

Dover Marshal's Office over budgetDOVER — Chief Marshal Rod Pfeifer told the Dover City Council during its regular meeting Tuesday that his department will be about $20,000 over budget for the year. "Is that mostly due to salaries or did you have a problem area or something that came up?" Alderman Chris Loper asked the chief. Pfeifer said salaries were "a lot of it," along with some unexpected maintenance on cars and other things. The department has about $32,000 left in the b...

News Briefs (Oct. 9, 2014)Football Booster Club tailgate The Russellville Football Booster Club will host a tailgate from 5-6:30 p.m. Friday outside Cyclone Stadium prior to the homecoming festivities and Cyclones game against Little Rock Catholic. The tailgate will serve pulled pork sandwiches, chips and a cookie for donations to the Football Booster Club. For more information, call Bryan Harris at (479) 970-5877. Al a Carte for Children’s Hospital The Arkansas River ...

Price, number of homes sold in Pope County dropMain Story The average price and number of homes sold in Pope County has decreased over the past year. A recent report by the Arkansas Realtors Association (ARA) showed a nearly 3 percent drop in average price per new and existing residential units sold since August 2013. The average statewide price was reported at $159,186. The ARA reported nearly a 4 percent decrease in the average price per unit sold in Pope County. In August 2014, the aver...